swimming 3

When I was growing up, I was lucky enough to go to an elementary with a swimming pool. So once every couple of weeks, our class would get the chance to swim during the school day as part of our "Specials" curriculum. One week it would be art, the next gym, then music, and then we would have swimming at last! I have fond of memories of diving into the water with my classmates, playing "Sharks and Minnows" and learning to enjoy the water at a very young age. It wasn't until I got older that I realized this wasn't the norm for most kids. I didn't know anyone my age who couldn't swim until I...

A very long time ago, in a rural town in Indiana, I was on the swim team. Backstroke was my specialty, and our year-end tournament was rapidly approaching. I was the favorite to win the race (obviously only in my own head), and I had been anticipating this day for months. I jumped in the water, settled in to the starting position...and false started. To this day I can still remember bawling my eyes out to my dad because I had been disqualified and forever ruined my chances of making the Olympics. Or, at least, that's how it felt to an adolescent Aquila. I remember the sting of disapp...

Before I became expectant with Cora back in 2011, I hadn't really been exercising too terribly much. When I made the unexpected discovery that we were pregnant it scared me to death to imagine working out during pregnancy when my body wasn't really used to it beforehand. So I mostly sat around, walked a bit, ate whatever I wanted, and gained almost 60 pounds. Insert gasp from the crowd here. And I think about 20 of those were in the last month. I can't stand looking at pictures of myself from the tail end of pregnancy, and there is maybe one from Cora's birth that I can see without feeli...

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Haute in Texas is where savvy public relations meets passionate blogging influence. Owner Aquila Mendez-Valdez splits her time between the Haute in Texas blog and the Haute in Texas public relations consulting business. She writes on fashion, beauty, and motherhood, and helps her clients to achieve their business goals both online and in the community. We’re glad you’re here; come join us in the pursuit of the haute life.